1. Maguire only read “The Great Gatsby” after he was offered the part of Nick.

“Four years ago, I got a phone call from Leo (DiCaprio). He said, ‘Hey, I spoke with Baz (Luhrmann) about that Gatsby project and we’re talking about you and I for Nick and Jay (Gatsby).’ After I got together with Leo and Baz to talk about it, I read the book. I’m sure I had a very different experience than most people to read ‘The Great Gatsby’ and thinking about whether or not this is a character I feel like I can play.”

2. It wasn’t the party scenes and costumes that Maguire liked the most, but it was working with DiCaprio again. The two first appeared together 20 years ago in “This Boy’s Life.”

“I really enjoy digging into a role and collaborating with Leo. I just like that whole aspect of searching and exploring what a character is supposed to be. I had great partners for this movie, and it was fun just to be a part of the dialogue.”

Director Baz Luhrmann, Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of "The Great Gatsby."
Warner Bros.

Director Baz Luhrmann, Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of "The Great Gatsby."

3. The movie’s soundtrack, which features modern-day music by Jay-Z, Sia, Jack White and The XX, wasn’t something that was done just to reach out to young audiences. Maguire said the choice is meant to invoke the feeling of the 1920s.

“Baz wanted to do what Fitzgerald set out to do, which is to write something new and beautiful and intricately patterned. In that pursuit, Baz wanted the audience to experience and feel and see what they did when the novel was first published. As we look back, the music of that era, while beautiful, can seem antique and unsophisticated. We’ve evolved way past that musically at this point, and Baz is trying to give the audience the feeling of excitement those folks were having in the 1920s.”

4. Even though he’s considered a Hollywood insider, Maguire had no problems relating to a character who is on the outside of the action.

“Nick is a character who is within and without. He’s an observer in a poetic, thoughtful way. And when we were pulling the story together, we really wanted to make that clear.”